


What To Do When Falling In Love

by RubyRead



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Awkward Romance, Banter, Boys In Love, Canon Compliant, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Four Greek Loves, Galra Keith (Voltron), Loss of Virginity, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2018-11-08 21:30:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11090316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyRead/pseuds/RubyRead
Summary: "Keith shuffles his thoughts and thinks that whatever magic the universe is made of, Lance is made of the same magic too."Inspired by the Four Greek Loves, Keith and Lance are falling in love; they just don’t know it yet.





	1. Storge: Instinct

It isn’t _rivalry_ , distilling what they have to a single word is too easy. Think of it more as _familiarity,_ a kind of morning mayhem, one bathroom, tiny kitchen, empty cereal box, cold coffee familiarity. They live in each other’s pocket, Keith and Lance, stumbling into one another and getting caught up by Lance’s stubbornness and Keith’s insistence on isolation. Keith and Lance aren’t rivals, they’re just boys with home shaped holes in their hearts.

Lance reminisces about jettisoned child prodigy Keith, who thrived in obscurity. The less he was seen, the more he was sought after and Lance could not comprehend why, surely there was no conversation to be had with a shadow? But Lance too, like the others, was drawn to Keith, floundering on Earth while Keith spun out of reach and overhead, bone-white and bitter. It was in his floundering that Lance’s resentment began to germinate. Fertilised by jealousy it sprouted, diseased and heaving. In his mind, he spools forward to the night of Shiro’s rescue, how Keith’s well-oiled machine mind pressed all the wrong buttons but kept them alive anyway and earned Lance’s reluctant respect.

Then, through unintentional heroism Keith emerged a youth-stripped defender of the universe, leaving Lance stunned. See, the thing about Lance is that humour stagnates and the thing about Keith is that highflier pilots go down in history. They’re boys bonded over a suddenly shortened life span and who fight out their trepidation with fervour, but when the expanse of space suffocates Lance, Keith is an unobtrusive presence that mediates his internal uncertainty, placates his homesick heart and Lance, even with all his mulishness is quietly grateful to Keith and his unwavering solidarity.                                                          

*

There was a moment, where Keith and Lance met on middle ground. An open and vulnerable space that left them raw and electric, hands meeting and holding tight. The air, so still around them looked on as a budding companionship blossomed into a striking slice of harmony in a discordant galaxy. He won’t remember it tomorrow, but that’s a lie, because Lance who snags stepped over details can recall every astonishing second of home-safe arms, a jackrabbit pulse, calloused fingers in his hair, and a broad chest safely holding Lance and his dignity off the floor.

*

Keith didn’t believe in a stationary life until robot lions, ten-thousand-year-old aliens, purple Nazis, and underqualified youth defenders came to pass for normal and he found himself grudgingly glad for green goo and friends who bicker about the likelihood of alternate realities. A younger Keith would have been horrified at the thought of getting mushy and warm at the sight of friends who he has known for less than six months. But now Keith knows that for too long he has been orphaned from friends and family, watching them wink out of his life without so much as a goodbye. In Keith’s manic search for his stolen family, three other lives fell into orbit alongside him.

It was the oddest trio of friends. A tiny tyrant with dry humour, a kid who goes by what has to be a nickname, and Lance.

Lance.

Lance is vanity searching for every reflective surface, and puddle-shallow humour; but Lance also is summer smiles and neon laughs, a miracle of unblemished optimism and clear-cut logic. He is everything Keith can’t be because Keith knows that his life exists on a meagre diet of happiness, and Lance lives out a non-linear sequence of cause and effect.

Keith shuffles his thoughts and thinks that whatever magic the universe is made of, Lance is made of the same magic too.

*

For peace seekers, the Paladins of Voltron are engaged in an awful combat, which keeps their sleep light and muscles tensed in anticipation. When called to action they dash to their hangars and mindlessly equip their armour and robotic lions. They’re too young for conflict, but Fate is a demanding mistress who won’t be ignored.

They burst out of the Castle and assume formation, a team of colour-coded Avengers who look like they would have a catchy theme song, and Keith and Lance for all their fighting make a pretty good team, opposing elements that heighten each other’s strengths and fill in the gaps eaten away by their individual weaknesses.

Keith dedicates a little part of himself to each team member, so in battle, they’re never alone. But Keith can only divide himself so much, and very little is left over leaving him vulnerable to the unexpected. Caught up in adrenaline, Keith fails to notice an incoming Galra fighter and only registers Lance’s panic seconds before his windshield fills with blue and shrapnel skirts around his lion. A second passes, realisation sets in, and Lance starts chewing him out for _daydreaming on the job_ and _trying too hard to be a hero._ Keith doesn’t take it to heart though, because Lance’s voice is relieved and Keith imagines the rest of him is very much the same.

After the battle, they find each other, their armour a cumbersome obstacle but they manage and Lance’s hands clutch the back of Keith’s neck at the same moment Keith pulls Lance to him with aching arms.

When they move back, Lance looks at Keith who is sweat-slick and still can’t quite breathe, and although the home shaped hole in his heart won’t close over, not yet, there is something in the way Keith’s grip won’t loosen, that gives Lance a face splitting smile.

Keith watches Lance’s smile shine at the cosmos, at their victory, at him, and feels a tug, a gentle pressure in the pit of his stomach that seeps up his spine and widens his eyes. When he looks from Lance to the five other elastic smiles the tug becomes a yank and Keith knows. He’s learning to love them, they’re learning to love him, and he’s learning to call this home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you aren’t familiar with the Four Greek Loves Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape each represent a different state of love. Since this chapter is inspired by Storge a familial state of love, (e.g. the love between a parent and child), I did not intend for this chapter to be romantic, though they both are in the beginnings of pining, which will be revisited in the next chapter. This chapter was meant to be a look at the relationship that Lance and Keith have beneath the bickering, which is a relationship built on mutual respect and understanding. 
> 
> Come hang with me - https://rubywritten.tumblr.com/


	2. Philia: Fondness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Keith, you know I’d never abandon you,” Lance says.  
> “Don’t say stupid stuff,” Keith replies, he doesn’t have it in him to argue.  
> “It’s not stupid if you believe it,” Lance counters.  
> Lance’s being earnest, and for Keith, that makes everything so much worse.
> 
> Liking someone is hard, especially when your infatuation with your best friend leaves you blind to their own affections and you both wallow in the angst of "unrequited" attraction.

It’s been hours, or maybe days, Keith can’t really tell. What he does know is that are thirty-two screws, twelve panels, six lights, three air ducts and, one shelving unit on the wall adjacent to his bunk. Keith hasn’t moved, feet firmly on the floor and back straight as if being pulled by a string. He is in pain, but instead of seeking help Keith uses it to punish himself.

It had been a recipe for a disaster. Shiro’s good intentions undermined Lance and Keith’s lack of foresight left him with several bruised ribs and exposed a dangerous secret. Keith likes to break things down into their simpler parts and then rebuild them with certainty of their origin and design, so when Kolivian had offered Keith answers, the opportunity to _know_ , Keith had jumped at the chance. Now he must face the consequence of his curiosity.

Out of every possible alien in the known universe, Keith had to be Galra and that raises the questions of _what next?_ Allura won’t speak to him (and rightfully so), but as Princess her word is definite and her silence speaks louder than anything else. Keith wonders if he will be allowed to say goodbye.

He hears footsteps approaching, pounding, sounding larger than life, but when they reach Keith’s quarters they’re hesitant and Keith’s heart sinks. Is it guilt that brought them here and regret that will send them back? There is a moment of contemplation on both sides of the door, and just as Keith prepares for confrontation, automatic doors open and white light chases away Keith’s low-lit comfort. Haloed by strip lights, Lance’s silhouette makes Keith’s heartache, and he doesn’t know how to deserve such a friend. Keith’s fingers twitch on his knee and Lance takes that as his cue to enter, the doors close behind him and immerse the pair in an appropriate gloom.

Keith wants to say something; he has thousands of possible words burning on his tongue, but when he opens his lips they fizzle. Lance tumbles onto Keith’s bed, limbs sprawled casually his eyes intense and focused on Keith, looking for a crack in his impassive mask. Keith’s reaction is not unexpected, but it still has Lance exasperated, it would be easier to console Keith if he showed even the slightest hint of emotion, but Keith remains repressed and stony.

“Keith, you know I’d never abandon you,” Lance says.

“Don’t say stupid stuff,” Keith replies, he doesn’t have it in him to argue.

“It’s not stupid if you believe it,” Lance counters.

Lance is being earnest, and for Keith, that makes everything so much worse.

Keith feels a hand on his shoulder. It creeps across his back, between his shoulder blades, and comes to rest on his arm. It’s a grounding touch, kind and warm. Keith’s head spins, and he reaches for Lance who draws him close, leaving enough slack in his grasp for Keith to escape if it becomes too much.

“Think of it this way, you’re only part Galra.”

“And how is that supposed to help, Lance?” Keith slumps against Lance, exhausted.

“Well, Shiro is part Galra too.” Lance’s words are cheeky, and for the first time in what could have been hours, or maybe days, Keith laughs.

*

If he’s being honest, Lance expected a little more purple when Keith revealed his Galra heritage and a little less of the distant ghost-boy who ignores his friends and doesn’t show up for dinner. When Shiro chose Keith over him, Lance slunk off to his pilot chair to sulk, but after the Red Lion had taken off on her own his petulant attitude turned into distress. Now he wishes the Lion would’ve taken him with her.

Seeing his friends hurt breaks Lance because they’re family and for Lance family is one of the most important things in life. Keith though is a whole other ball game. Lance isn’t quite sure when _brother in arms_ became _I want to be in his arms_ but it left him dizzy. Since then spending time with Keith has become an exercise in self-restraint. So when Keith, bloody and beaten, returned to him it hurt Lance in a way he couldn’t explain.

Above all else, Allura’s callous hatred is what Lance despises most about the situation. He understands resenting the race that exterminated her people and destroyed her home planet, but treating Keith who played no active role in deciding his parents, as less than human is not what Lance considers appropriate behaviour for a princess who preaches diplomacy and peace.

After the mission Lance lets Keith disappear to his room. He knows trying to harass Keith into anything is futile and Lance respects Keith’s need for space, it is only when he fails to show up for dinner hours after isolating himself that Lance decides to act. He excuses himself from the table and announces his visit to Keith quarters; no one tries to stop him, and he’s glad they’re all on the same page, well everyone except Allura. On his way out Lance catches Shiro’s eye and notes the thankful look being sent his way.

The walk to where Keith has taken up residence feels endless and with every step, Lance’s mounting dread mixes queasily with his dinner. Lance isn’t afraid of Keith, he’s afraid of how he will find him and whether or not he’ll be able to help. Slowing as he approaches the door Lance hesitates, contemplating how best to approach Keith. Then the doors are opening and he’s looking directly into the face of a boy on the verge of total breakdown.

Quietly, the two sit side-by-side before Lance speaks, and when Keith answers his words are hollow like his eyes, so Lance tries a different approach and reaches for Keith, moments later he rests against the wall of Keith’s bunk, arms full of his sleeping friend and not for the first time Lance wishes this could be something more, that they could be something more.

Loving long distance is hard. For Lance, this is because Earth exists in a place Lance can only remember and not reach and Keith exists in a place where Lance is only a friend and nothing more.

*

A week passes, Allura apologises, and the team falls back into a comfortable camaraderie, but there is something subtle changing between Keith and Lance, and it has everyone interested. _A crush_ , Keith’s mind suggests. He’s not sure when it happened, but at some point between cradling Lance in his arms and now, Lance became the object of Keith’s fantasies instead of his frustrations. As his thoughts rearrange, Keith finds it is the little things about Lance that he keeps getting caught on. Lance in the morning soft and sleepy, Lance flushed pink with uncontrollable laughter, Lance singing Spanish lullabies when he’s homesick, Lance and his sweet-tempered smiles, Lance’s skin peeking out of sleeves and shirt collars, driving Keith mad. It’s all Lance, Lance, _Lance_ , and Keith is whipped.

Beneath all the quiet night fantasies and teenage hormones, there is the cool reality of an unrequited attraction. Keith’s ravenous heart continues to go hungry, but he’ll wait for Lance because no satisfaction will be sweeter than if Lance comes to him out of attraction rather than obligation. 

Unfortunately for Keith, Shiro catches on quickly and corners him in the communal shower after training, which Keith does not appreciate at all. It is one thing to be interrogated about a crush, it’s another thing to be interrogated while wrapped in only a towel and dripping wet. Shiro leaves laughing when Keith flushes crimson and splutters defensively.

“You better not say shit!”

It’s not Shiro saying anything that worries really Keith, it’s Shiro having caught on so quickly. Is Keith really not that subtle or does Shiro just know him too well? And if Shiro knows, how long will it take Allura, Hunk, Pidge, Coran or, stars forbid Lance to find out? Keith doesn’t think he’d ever live down the embarrassment.

“You know me better than that Keith,” Shiro waves dismissively over his shoulder before disappearing behind automatic doors. Shivering, Keith grumps all the way back to his room where he falls onto his bed in a huff and buries his face into the pillow before letting out a long-suffering groan. Liking someone is hard.

Keith manages to drag himself out of bed and finds everybody packed onto the sofa for movie night or the intergalactic equivalent. Pidge is sitting next to Allura and the two of them are engaged in what appears to be a rather heated discussion about what movie to watch. Hunk chats amiably with Coran, and Lance and Shiro and are turned towards each other murmuring stories only they are privy to.

Shiro spots Keith as he enters the room and tugs on Lance’s elbow so he falls into Shiro, leaving enough room for Keith to squeeze in between Lance and the arm of the sofa. Keith didn’t pick Shiro to be the teasing type, but his smug grin suggests, though he probably didn’t pre-arrange the seating order, Shiro is now using it to his advantage to screw with Keith, and Keith hates him for it.

Settling beside Lance Keith tries to preserve a precious five centimetres of space between them by curling uncomfortably into the armrest, but Lance is having none of it and yanks Keith towards him. Keith squirms briefly as Lance mockingly says; “What? Afraid you’ll catch my cooties?” poking Keith’s ribs with his fingers.

“Yeah actually, I’d like to remain a decent pilot,” Keith fires back. Lance may be the more socially adept, but Keith can give as good as he gets.

“You wound me, Keith,” Lance tries to sound hurt, but the laughter gives him away.

“Play nice boys,” Shiro scolds from the other side of Lance, but he too is chuckling and obviously glad they are getting along.

“Don’t worry Shiro, Keith and I are like two peas in a pod, nothing can come between us, right Keith?” Lance has stopped laughing, but he’s soaked in the radiance of unspoilt happiness.

“Sure, just as long as you don’t drool on me when you fall asleep,” It’s an intimate sentence meant only for Lance and it has its desired effect, a sweet boyish smile that is Lance at his most true self. Yeah, Keith is definitely falling in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for not updating earlier, but this chapter took longer than I expected to write and edit.  
> Now, in this chapter, my main focus was on the mutual pining between Keith and Lance and how both are oblivious to the other's affections. Yes, angst was also a factor in the beginning but if it seemed a little downplayed it was because I was trying to heighten the longing between the boys.  
> I'd appreciate feedback on how I went in writing their relationship because the only way I'll be able to improve is if you guys help me out by pointing where I can improve. 
> 
> Wanna hang? Find me at - https://rubywritten.tumblr.com/


	3. Eros: Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They posses each other, Keith and Lance, wholly and utterly until there is no distinction between either boy, stripped down to their base designs, they gravitate towards each other like galaxies about to collide, a devastating spectacle of carnal desire that blows them apart and pieces them back together again. In this moment, they share one soul and it outshines even the brightest star.

Lance can’t pinpoint the exact moment when his desire for Keith eclipsed everything else. Perhaps it’s because his feelings evolved over the course of months, building gradually until there was nothing left but a burning need for his friend. Lance likes to think himself capable in any and all situations, which is true, but when it comes to cute boys, he is utterly hopeless. 

“Lance?” The voice sounds distant, and at first Lance doesn’t react. He is lying on the training room floor, sweaty and breathing hard. “Lance!” The voice is calling more urgently now, and Lance manages a groan in response. Keith hauls him to his feet. 

“You alright?” Keith asks. Lance’s eyes are worryingly unfocused. Lance had held out longer against the training droid than ever before, and Keith had shone with pride as he watched Lance work his way up through the levels, but he’d been quick to call it quits when Lance took a kick to the stomach and didn’t get back up again. 

“Yeah, maybe. My ribs don’t feel too good.” Lance is consumed by a coughing fit, clutching at his stomach and leaning heavily on Keith. 

“That doesn’t sound alright to me,” Keith says, snaking an arm around his waist holding tight so he doesn’t fall. 

Even disoriented Lance, is acutely aware of Keith’s presence, strong and warm pressing up against him. Tempting.  
“Come on, let me take you to the med-bay,” Keith insists, and together they limp down long hallways. Halfway there, Lance’s legs begin shaking and threaten to give out. 

“Come on Lance, almost there, don’t give up on me yet.” Lance supposes Keith’s words are meant as encouragement, but instead of inspiring him to struggle the last hundred metres, they make him laugh.  
“What’s so funny?” Keith asks, put out.  
“Nothing. You’re just being really dramatic,” Lance chuckles, his laughter mixed with relief as he sees the med-bay approaching. He may be teasing Keith for dramatizing the situation, but Lance can’t count on his legs supporting him much longer. 

The pair of them stagger into the med-bay, Keith keeping Lance upright as he pulls on a pod suit; Keith then guides Lance to the nearest healing pod, but before Keith can get Lance inside, Lance turns around to face Keith with what he hopes is a serious look.  
“Thanks, Keith,” Lance says, and he means it. Keith grins, two hands coming up to grasp his shoulders affectionately. Lance tingles all over. 

“Anytime,” Keith says, and he means it.  
“Now get in before you collapse,” Keith’s words are joking and Lance smiles as he steps into the pod. The last thing he sees is Keith’s amused face. Here is a beautiful boy, and Lance hasn't the first clue on what to do. 

*

Three hours later, when Lance tumbles out of the pod, Keith is there to catch him.

*

Lance is significantly livelier at dinner, bantering with Hunk, and testing Pidge’s limits by piling unwanted food goo onto their plate. He chats with Shiro about an upcoming mission, and even engages Coran in a discussion about the Castle defence systems and how after ten thousand years they could probably do with an upgrade. 

Keith is quiet but not inattentive. He watches his friends fondly, so engrossed in them that he doesn’t see Allura watching him.  
“You care for them more than you are willing to admit,” Allura says beside him. Keith starts, not having expected to hear her voice. Keith turns and looks at Allura carefully, hair spills around her face and over her shoulders framing rich brown skin, curving lips, and inquisitive blue eyes. She is beautiful, Keith knows that, but it is not her that his eyes linger on. 

“Yes well, we’ve all bonded over the constant threat of imminent death,” Keith answers. Allura’s head tips back and she laughs a belly laugh that Keith can’t help but join in with. Lance’s eyes slide over to them curiously. Allura rests her hand on his knee, and Keith glances down at it, all fine bones and soft skin it is just as pretty as the rest of her. When Keith meets her gaze again he know he’s been figured out, because beneath all the prettiness is a woman particularly brutal, and bent on defeating the Galra. Nothing escapes her, not even Keith. 

Allura leans in, her breath soft against Keith’s ear, and speaks.  
“I have been unforgiving to you in the past, and everyday since I have regret my actions so let me make amends by telling you this.” Keith’s eyes are rooted to the table as Allura whispers, “Don’t let him slip through your fingers Keith, you don’t know how long you will have him for.” 

Allura stands and steps back from the table, one final look and a lingering touch on Keith’s shoulder, before she sweeps out of the room. He looks up at Lance who cocks an eyebrow at him but Keith just shakes his head. 

Shortly after Allura’s departure everyone finishes and starts to clean up. Hunk pulls Lance to him for a friendly hug, and when they break apart Pidge takes a hold of Lance’s forearm and gives him a kind look, to which Lance’s answers with an affectionate ruffle of their hair. Coran thumps Lance on the back and promises him a full day of planning for repairs and Shiro tells Lance to not push himself so hard next time. Lance blushes, embarrassed.  
Then it’s just the two of them. Keith watches Lance soak up the love of his friends then drapes his arm across Lance’s shoulders.  
“Come on Keith, time for bed!” Lance says as they walk together,  
“You literally just had a three hour nap,” Keith tells him, Lance just scoffs.  
“Keith, buddy, medically induced sleep is not the same as actually sleeping. You should know this.” Keith does know this. 

When they reach their bedrooms Lance disappears from under Keith’s arm. Keith already misses his warmth. Lance looks to his bedroom door, and then back to Keith, with an odd look that Keith can’t quite place. “Thanks, again” Lance says, his voice soft,  
“For what?” Keith replies.  
“You know, scraping me up off the training room floor,” they both snort at that, but Lance’s face takes on a more thoughtful note before he speaks again  
“And for cheering me on while I was training, meant a lot coming from someone who can kick my ass.” Keith’s smile shies at Lance’s words and he suddenly finds himself without an appropriate response. 

They look at each only a second longer, then Lance is speaking again.  
“Night, Keith.”  
Keith wants to kiss him. Instead he says “Goodnight Lance.” 

*

That night as quiet falls over the Castle, Lance indulges himself in thoughts of milky skin and dark hair. He imagines wet kisses and gentle touches that raise gooseflesh in their wake. Lance wraps himself in a fantasy where he is held close and loved tenderly, where stretches of creamy skin are his to touch, and yielding pink lips his to kiss. The more he thinks, the quicker his breath comes and soon it is all too much. Sleep doesn’t come easy, his heart yearning now more than ever. 

*

Across the hall, Keith dreams up the taste of heightened pleasure, of bodies coming together in unison and making something soft. There are flashes of bronze skin, and resounding sunny laughter. Ocean eyes drown him, and a racing heart brings him back. Keith moves in time with his dream self and it is not long before he is spilling his own pent up desire, wishing for the boy who sleeps across the hall.

*

The next morning things are strained between Keith and Lance. The rest of the team of course catch onto the tension, though their responses vary. Allura stifles laughter all through breakfast, Shiro keeps trying to catch Keith’s eye, Keith pointedly ignoring him. Pidge keeps out of it, figuring they’d rather not know, Hunk who knows Lance like the back of his hand plans an ambush later that day, and Coran who understands youth better than anyone else aboard politely distracts from the subject with talk of repairs.

At the mention of repairs Allura almost immediately assigns roles to each Paladin, Sending Keith and Lance off in opposite directions. Both boys relax visibly and finish breakfast promptly; eager to be out of each other’s way. Coran and Hunk follow after Lance, and Pidge and Shiro resign themselves to what could be a very awkward day as they head towards Keith. 

Hunk and Coran find Lance channelling his frustrations into scrubbing the control panels free of grime. Hunk watches rather transfixed as Lance methodically rubs a disinfectant of some kind into nooks and crannies untouched for many ages, before sluicing the whole thing down with water. Hunk recalls never having seen Lance so focused on a single task, and he and Coran share a look unnoticed by Lance. Both Coran and Hunk recognise cornering Lance now would end up nowhere good or useful, better to do it once he burnt off some energy. 

At the other end of the Castle, Keith muscles debris and junk out of a storeroom while Pidge reworks computer systems and Shiro sits unneeded, fidgeting with his Galra arm. Presently, Shiro is called into action when Keith, who had been managing on sheer adrenaline alone, loses his grip on a lump of metal. The day, and Pidge’s foot is saved by Shiro’s quick reflexes, and looking up Shiro finally manages to meet Keith’s gaze for the first time today. Agitation, stress, and longing are all expected emotions, what is surprising for Shiro is the element of apprehension hidden underneath. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, Shiro thinks getting this talk over and done with quickly is more likely to ease Keith’s mood rather than letting it fester.

“So Lance, huh?” Like ripping off a Band-Aid.  
Keith gapes, horrified and Pidge laughs with delight.  
“You swore not to say anything,” Keith hisses taking a step forward. Shiro holds his ground unconcerned.  
“A promise I never broke, you just lack subtlety,” Shiro says evenly, he wants the best for Keith but he is as stubborn as he is emotionally guarded.  
“Yeah man, for a month now you’ve been openly checking him out. Sometimes I wonder if Lance needs glasses more than I do,” Pidge cuts in, obviously enjoying themselves. 

“Yeah, so? He has nice legs,” Keith says offhandedly, they’ve got him, but two can play this game. Shiro and Pidge are struck dumb for a moment. 

“Have you told him yet?”  
“Obviously not Pidge. Otherwise I wouldn’t be hanging around here,”  
“Gross dude, I don’t want to think about you two getting it on,” Pidge complains.  
“That’s not what I meant you perv!”  
“Of course not Keith,” Shiro teases, unable to help himself.  
Keith, because he’s Keith rises to the bait and lands a resounding punch on Shiro’s shoulder.  
“Shut up!” It’s angry, and hurt, and makes the room go very quiet  
“Keith?” Shiro asks, hesitantly.  
“Don’t Shiro, just don’t.” Keith snaps, but the anger is gone. Turned away from both Pidge and Shiro, Keith rubs his eyes and for a second Shiro thinks he might be crying. 

“To be perfectly honest, this relationship shit could not interest me less.” Pidge slides off their perch and strides towards Keith.

“What I do care about is you and Lance as my friends, and lately all this pent up hormonal bullshit has been screwing with you both.” Keith tenses, Pidge doesn’t bat an eyelid.  
“So you have a choice. Either confront Lance about it, because fuck knows Lance doesn’t have the balls to do it himself, or spend the rest of your time as a Paladin jerking it to the thought of Lance’s ass in a flight suit.” Pidge finishes, smirks at Keith’s astounded expression and returns to their computer. Keith has to think about whether to thank or scold them.

“Thanks Pidge.” His voice comes out sounding croaky and unused.  
“Anytime,” they answer. Keith turns to Shiro who just shrugs and hauls off the previously forgotten lump of metal, Keith returns to his work, a plan forming in his head. 

*

By the time Lance sluices off the last panel, his arms are aching with overuse and a fine tremor is moving his skin. He sinks down onto a step at the head of the bridge, trying to keep casual as he watches the stars. Hunk who had had his arms elbow deep in machinery, wipes his skin clean of grease, hits a button and watches with a celebratory grin as the whole console lights up.  
Walking to where Lance sits, Hunk is nervous about scaring him off. Hunk drops down beside his friend, starting marginally when Lance leans against him. Hunk notes Lance is looking more haggard than usual, a side effect of pining he supposes.  
“Why’d I have to go falling for a mullet Hunk?” Lance only half says it as a joke. 

Hunk laughs, and pulls Lance close. “You should tell him,” Hunk says in what may turn out to be the worst piece of advice he’s ever given.  
“Keith lacks the empathy neurons to understand something like a crush,” Lance sighs.  
“You’d be surprised,”  
“And if he says no, then what?”  
“Then nothing, if the answer is no it will have been no yesterday and tomorrow. Nothing you can do about that,” Hunk says, making sure to remain impartial. Hunk won’t sow hope where there isn’t any, but he also won’t pick an unblo0med flower.  
“Anyways the odds of that are low, seeing as there is so much about you he can’t not like.” Lance coughs in disagreement, Hunk just holds him tighter. 

“In my experience, neither of you will get far without communication.” It’s Coran weighing in now. “Altean ways of courting are most certainly different to that of humans, but it is a universal understanding that all relationships rely on active participation from both parties to work. I figure you’re scared, and that is quite all right, but Keith isn’t looking to hurt you and probably needs you just as much as you need him.” Coran’s words are wise and his tone isn’t aggressive. Hunk wonders how many kids he has had the same talk with. 

“Hunk is right in saying that if Keith were to refuse you, then there is nothing to be done. But know that his refusal is not a direct reflection on who you are,” Coran leans in and take one of Lance’s hands between his own. “Be brave my boy, and the stars will see you well, I promise.” 

*

Dinner is being served but Keith isn’t hungry, and neither apparently is Lance because he hasn’t shown up. Getting up from the table Keith makes to leave, but realises he isn’t sure where he is going.  
Hunk helpfully chimes in with “He is in the observatory.” Keith nods in acknowledgement and heads out the door, but not before taking a look at all the encouraging smiles being sent his way. Though supportive, the message is clear, be careful with his heart, and yours.

The observatory is dark when Keith steps through the doors, the only light comes from the myriad of stars splashed across an eternal inky night. Seated at the large curving window is Lance, illuminated in a soft unsaturated glow.

Keith sits beside Lance. The air around him is so astonishingly quiet that Keith worries all that’s left of Lance is a hollow shell with pretty eyes. Lance heaves a sigh and the spell is broken. His eyes flick over to Keith; the same emotion from the night before clouding them and Keith feels oddly out of the loop. A sudden and new sensation that leaves Keith nervous, he’s never not had an answer to something before. 

Keith’s hours of planning are no help here, he’s treading uncharted water without a lighthouse to guide him home. So he goes by what he knows: Shiro’s like ripping off a Band-Aid philosophy. 

“I know,” Keith blurts out and then promptly regrets. Lance curls into an even tighter ball, scrunching up his legs and squeezing his arms.  
“Then why are you here?” Lance’s words are defensive and his tone steely.  
“Because,” Keith says, hands moving to loosen the knot of limbs, and when he does so successfully the tension bleeds from Lance though the apprehension still remains, “Because I think you’re, um, hot?”

The words come out awkward and hesitant, embarrassment creeps up his neck and Keith shies away from Lance, adverting his eyes outwards to the stars. When Lance begins to laugh, the sound climbing up from his chest and pouring out in fits of cackles and wheezes, Keith’s embarrassment flushes his cheeks bright red, and his fingers twist nervously together. 

“Hey,” Lance says after composing himself, voice still tinged with a hint of laughter. He doesn’t continue, not right away, instead Lance’s fingers trace up Keith’s arms, flit over his collarbone, and finally settle in his hair, scratching lightly. When Lance speaks again, it’s with a broad, captivating smile:  
“Keith, you wonderful idiot.” 

Keith knows words are beyond him right now, so he kisses him. And in those first few seconds Keith realises he isn’t quite sure what he is doing. It’s messy, uncoordinated, and the tongue-to-tongue ratio isn’t quite right, but Lance is warm under his hands, and sweet under his mouth, and Keith is sure there is nothing better than this.

“You’re my first,” Lance breathes into Keith’s mouth.  
“Sorry?” Keith asks, brain overloading with Lance so close.  
“Kiss. You’re my first kiss, Keith,” Lance clarifies in a mumble. Something in Keith surges and he pulls Lance tight against him, chests flush and hips dangerously close. He consumes Lance with a kiss only a little more put together than their last, but utterly electrifying. Keith wants this, more than this, and only this. 

Keith wants to be all of Lance’s firsts. 

*

Over the following week Lance finds himself backed up against a lot of walls. The banter between them is still familiar, but it has undertones of something far more intimate and new. He likes to think that the way Keith looks at him is nothing he hasn’t seen before, that he is used to being devoured by hungry eyes, and those carnal looks don’t riddle him with tingling threads of lust.

Lance of course, is not the James Dean he dreams he is and his virgin skin pricks with every look and burns with every touch. Keith on the other hand, maintains a devastatingly attractive air of control that weakens Lance at the knees. Dark and handsome (Keith doesn’t qualify as tall) Lance only needs one look, smouldering with sensuality, and he’s stumbling after a lascivious chuckle that echoes down empty hallways leading Lance to a quiet, undisturbed corner. 

Keith dominates Lance’s dreams, ghosting in and out, leaving behind whispers of a kiss and the memory of a touch. Dream Lance is awkward and tongue-tied, falling over his failed flirtations and unable to hold onto the ever-elusive Keith. He isn’t much better awake either. Lanky with bones jutting out at sharp angles, Lance feels out of place against the thickening muscles of Keith’s chest and arms, but Keith doesn’t seem to mind. Instead he holds Lance fast, murmuring words of admiration, and adoration, pressing his lips against the rise of Lance’s collarbone and smoothing over protruding hips bones. Lance has never felt more desired than in the cradle of Keith’s arms. 

*

Keith has never been good with self-control; he dives in headfirst, makes mistakes, learns from those mistakes, and never does them again. It is an unsound method at best, especially when applied to a person, but it is all Keith knows. He doesn’t want to fail Lance, but he doesn’t know how to succeed with him either. They say talking is the best way to overcome hurdles in any relationship, but since when has Keith ever been a talker, especially about his feelings?

Keith knows how to be blunt, how to be crass, because that is how he survives. Never a slow moment in his eighteen years, at least not that he can remember, Lance is the first to make him crave slowness. Keith wants to lay Lance down, stretch him out, divest him of those worn clothes, and expose all that warm and hidden skin. To take his time in loving Lance, kiss by kiss, touch by touch, until all that is left is Lance, pliant and needy, desperate for anything and everything Keith has to offer. 

All Keith has to do is ask. Easier said than done. He doesn’t even know where to start, having enough trouble being serious with Lance as it is. Broaching the topic of sex not just as a general topic, but a particular point of interest makes Keith want to hurl himself out of the airlock. Only the slim, not embarrassing chance of Lance saying yes makes Keith wait out the days until he feels rehearsed enough in what he wants to say. 

Feelings, sex, Lance. It’s a messy combination. 

*

Lance says yes with little hesitation, much to Keith’s delight and Lance’s mortification, which is followed up by plenty of kissing and big-talk promises. Lance tasks Keith with supply gathering because he popped the question, and according to Lance it’s the proper, gentlemanly thing to do. Keith thinks it’s Lance trying to save himself from further embarrassment. 

*

“You got the stuff?”  
“For stars sake Lance, you make it sound like I’m dealing you drugs.”  
“I dunno man, lifting that lube from the storeroom was pretty shifty.”  
They’re doing a half walk-jog down a long hallway, hand in hand, and if Keith weren’t so smitten he would have punched Lance in the arm. He might do it anyway. 

“I don’t even know why I asked you,” Keith remarks.  
“Because you couldn’t resist my smoking hot bod?” Lance teases.  
“Lance,” Keith says, exasperated.  
“Sorry, I’m a little nervous,” the words are confident, but when Keith turns around it is a different story; a delicate pink warms Lance’s cheeks, and steals down his neck. 

“Hey,” Keith starts softly “I’m going to take care of you, and make you feel so good, and none of it will be worth being nervous over.” Rising just slightly onto the balls of his feet so he can look Lance in the eye; Keith bumps his forehead against Lance’s own, and huffs a laugh when Lance kisses his nose.  
“Okay, but only if you let me look after you too.” Lance replies, not a selfish bone in his body. 

They don’t spring into action when Keith’s door closes behind them; rather Keith and Lance busy themselves in taking their shoes and socks off, then watch each other from across the room, pointedly ignoring the bed. Keith is the first to move - big surprise there - Lance meets him halfway.

“Don’t feel like you can’t tell me what you want or how you want it, Lance. This is about both of us, so I want it to be good for both of us.” Keith knows he’s not the greatest at advice or emotions, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t try for Lance.  
“Can I kiss you?” Lance asks, testing the waters.  
“Of course,” Keith answers, like he’d say anything different.

Lance is much improved from their first kiss, but still tentative. Curious hands roam cautiously, pressing into the muscles of Keith’s back and shoulders. That glorious mouth presses indulgent kisses down his neck. 

“Jackets,” is all Keith says.  
“Yeah, alright,” Lance manages. 

Their jackets drop with a soft pat and they shuffle over to the bed. Lance sits down, released from Keith’s hold he fidgets nervously but Keith catches his trembling hands and brings them to his lips, pressing butterfly kisses to the bones and sinews.  
Keith pushes himself self upwards so he can meet Lance’s eyes.  
They share the same breath, lips tingle with eagerness, and this time it’s Lance who initiates their kiss letting it linger between them, lips barely parting when Keith asks; “You all good?”  
“Never better,” Lance responds.

Satisfied, Keith presses Lance to the mattress and claims his mouth in a fevered kiss. 

*  
Together they move, deliberate and sensual. Lance sits astride Keith, grinding his hips down onto the cock spreading him open. Propped up on pillows and a blanket Keith holds tight to Lance’s hips and encourages him with caresses and praise.  
“Look at you, taking me so well. You look stunning filled with my cock,” Keith says.  
“Shut up,” Lance breathes, and then as an after thought adds “Where did you learn to talk dirty?”  
“I wasn’t completely repressed in my desert cabin,” Keith grins, lifting Lance so he can resettle him with a sharp thrust, driving the air from Lance’s lungs.  
“Gross, Keith,” Lance huffs out when he can speak again.  
“My dick is literally in your ass right now, and me watching porn is gross?” Keith sounds bewildered, Lance rolls his eyes, silencing Keith with a decidedly sinful rolls of his hips. 

The effect is instantaneous; a single groan from Lance punctuates the air and he slumps, gelatinous with pleasure. Keith stops short, the sound Lance makes rings in his ears and ignites a fire that charges through his chest. Hastily, Keith attempts to meet that mark again, taking a few unsuccessful thrusts until he angles correctly and Lance outright moans this time. 

“That’s new,” Keith muses.  
“It’s good, do it again. Please?” Lance didn’t consider himself a beggar, but he’d kiss Keith boots to get him to find that spot again.  
“Your wish is my command,” Keith articulates with another thrust, but struggles to find where Lance needs him most. They both continue to go unsatisfied, until Keith growls in frustration, which Lance finds unfairly sexy, and rumbles–  
“Let me,” before flipping Lance onto his back, so that he’s stretched out underneath Keith and completely at his mercy.  
“Much better,” Keith says, obviously enjoying the change in positions. “If you’ll let me Lance, I’ll make good on that promise I told you earlier.”  
“What promise?” Lance struggles with coherency through the fog of sensory overload.  
“To fuck you proper, and make you feel so good.” Keith didn’t say those words exactly, but they have their desired effect. Lance’s pupil’s blow out, eclipsing the blue, and a ravenous stare consumes Keith, handsome above him. 

Lance runs a candy pink tongue over parted lips and grits out, “Keith I want you to fuck me so that I’ll be feeling it for a week.” Lance’s eager consent spurring him on, Keith takes great satisfaction in pinning Lance’s wrists to the bed and pressing their noses together.  
“You asked for it,” Keith murmurs.  
“Then give it to me,” Lance goads. 

They posses each other, Keith and Lance, wholly and utterly until there is no distinction between either boy, stripped down to their base designs, they gravitate towards each other like galaxies about to collide, a devastating spectacle of carnal desire that blows them apart and pieces them back together again. In this moment, they share one soul and it outshines even the brightest star. 

Lance crests first, back arched and pulled taut by pleasure, and nails scratching fierce welts down Keith’s back while he comes in white, ropey streams onto his stomach. Keith holds out long enough to see Lance open his previously closed eyes, their ocean irises watery with overstimulation, chest heaving hard as the post-orgasm high leaves his body. Lance brings a shaky hand up to Keith’s face tracing over his lips and cupping a cheek, a generous smile cross Lance’s face and he pulls Keith down to him so he can say “Come for me, Keith.”

Maybe it’s the imminent orgasm, the feeling of Lance tight around him, or Lance looking fucked out and striking beneath him, but Keith lets go spilling himself into Lance before collapsing heavy and sated.  
Keith is dozing when Lance prods his side and tells him, “Shower first, no way am I letting us sleep like this.” Keith groans but concedes, and hauls himself up. He’s taking unsteady steps towards the bathroom when Lance appears beside him with a cheeky grin.

“What?” Keith asks, weary.  
“Lets shower together, it’ll save water.” Lance is obviously serious, but it doesn’t make it any less silly.  
“You’re ridiculous,” Keith fires back.  
“You love me,” Lance responds almost immediately. Keith’s heart misses a beat, and his legs almost miss a step. Keith plays it off and raises an eyebrow. Lance doesn’t seem to notice his falter and light-heartedly slaps his chest.  
“How dare you! I am the greatest good you’re ever going to get!”  
“Did you just quote the Incredibles?” Keith may have sounded incredulous, but he really isn’t surprised that almost directly after sex Lance quoted a cartoon.  
“Yes, let me live my life.” Lance pretends to be put out, pouting comically.  
“Whatever you want, Lance,” Keith says with a smile, and places a kiss on Lance’s cheek. 

*

Keith and Lance sleep for many hours, tangled up in a mix of limbs and blankets, and when they wake it is within minutes of each other. First Keith, who lies quiet and calm, staring at the ceiling and running a hand through Lance’s knotted hair.  
Memories of last night are still a haze of simmering desire, stirring Keith from the inside out.  
His attention is refocused when Lance shifts, his body beginning to wake. It starts with little twitches, the fluttering of eyelids and scrunching of his nose, incremental things that Keith watches carefully, taking in all of Lance’s peaceful, unwary self. When he wakes fully, Lance’s eyes find Keith almost immediately and he smiles something bright and utterly beautiful. 

“Last night was good. Like really good,” Lance says after stretching the sleep from his muscles.  
“Yeah,” Keith answers, not as articulate as he’d like but there are no words to express what he’s feeling right now. Hands make tender paths up and down naked skin as they contemplate one another, and it’s nearly more intimate than when they were having sex, because now they have time to simply feel. 

“You take my breath away every time I look at you,” Lance says, almost unthinkingly. Keith, overcome by a bout of shyness looks away, but Lance reconnects their eyes with a persuasive touch of his hand.  
“I know you don’t believe me now, but Keith, you had me star struck the moment I laid eyes on you.” It’s so sincere that Keith reckons he could probably cry. 

Minutes pass in quite contemplation and companionship. Lying side by side and on their backs they exude content-ness with each other, the only disturbance is Keith, eyes flickering back and forth between Lance and the wall.  
“What?” Lance doesn’t open his eyes when he asks.  
Keith takes a moment, a breath to compose himself, so that he can pluck up the courage to speak. “I want to try harder for you Lance, I am going to try harder for you but I don’t know how. If only I could break down these walls…”  
In a graceful flurry, Lance rolls on top of Keith and entwines their hands.  
“I don’t need you to break them down, Keith. I just need you to let me climb over them.”

Again, Keith finds himself beyond words, so he kisses Lance, and everything comes into focus. Whatever is happening between them is messy, unpredictable, and a little bit terrifying. But it is also captivating, humbling, and worth sticking around for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other than my inexcusable absence for six months (do I even appologise at this point?), and the tediousness of writing this chapter I am very happy with how it finished up. I feel progressed as a creative writer, so if you notice distinct style differences between the previous chapter and this chapter, that's why.  
> You'll be pleased to hear the next and final update shouldn't take as long, a month or two at max, which will be followed up by completeing my 'Ignite' series before I move onto other works I have in mind. Yay.
> 
> As always feedback is greatly appreciated, and everyone one of your kudos/comments is like a virtual hug for me. If you'd like to be my friend, or just drop by for a chat you can find me @ https://rubywritten.tumblr.com/


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